Abortion: A pregnant woman’s right to choose – free of any pressure

I unreservedly support a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy, and I have
no moral issue with abortion. But it’s precisely because I support a woman’s
right to choose that I feel uncomfortable about the way that abortion
services are run

Farming out advisory services from the NHS to indepedent providers can go wrongPhoto: ALAMY

There can be few medical procedures so politically charged as abortion. Simply uttering the term polarises people. Battle lines are drawn and there is an expectation that you will join one camp or the other. For or against, pro-life or pro-choice: the narrative rarely extends beyond this simple dichotomy. And, if you are pro-choice, any criticism of abortion is considered a heresy.

I unreservedly support a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy, and I have no moral issue with abortion. But it’s precisely because I support a woman’s right to choose that I feel uncomfortable about the way that abortion services are run. That there is a financial incentive for pregnancy advisory services to undertake terminations is plain wrong. It is fair to ask, how can they offer independent advice when so much of their income comes from terminations?

Many women seeking advice are scared, upset and vulnerable. While doctors would argue that they remain impartial in the advice they give, research suggests that, although many think they are impartial, in fact they can be easily swayed by subtle external pressures. Why do we think it will be any different with abortion?

It’s not just that women might be swayed into having a termination. The opposite is also true.

Crisis Pregnancy Centres are a group of unregulated outlets across the UK that promote themselves as advisory services for women trying to deal with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. While some may claim to be impartial, others are run by pro-life charities. These centres are not regulated by the Department of Health, yet claim to give out reliable health advice.

Worryingly, investigations by this newspaper have shown that the information they share about the physical and mental effects of an abortion is often not supported by medical evidence or in line with official advice from the Royal College of Obstetricians.

What an unforgivable mess. Where are the voices from women’s groups condemning this whole set-up? Where were the feminists after this newspaper also uncovered doctors who were willing to terminate pregnancies for women who did not want to have a baby girl? A few muted whimpers – but nothing more.

Last month, another investigation suggested that the practice has become so widespread within some communities that it is said to have led to the “disappearance” of between 1,400 and 4,700 females. Why aren’t men and women who consider themselves supporters of women’s rights up in arms about this?

What was exposed is pure misogyny, and yet, because it relates to abortion, ideological confusion creeps in. Why can’t you criticise the way abortion services are run while still supporting a woman’s right to choose?

For me, this is a clear example of how farming out services from the NHS to independent providers can go cataclysmically wrong. The entirety of pregnancy advice should be brought back into the NHS, where strict guidelines on impartiality can be enforced and there is no financial incentive for individuals to recommend one decision over another.

I’m pro-choice – and I want things to change to ensure that that choice really is the woman’s.

Cosmetic cowboys escape again

Actress Lesley Ash needed remedial work after her lip injections went wrong

In the ongoing pursuit of a youthful complexion, many turn to anti-ageing procedures such as dermal fillers – products injected under the skin to plump it up and smooth away wrinkles. Yet dermal fillers are no more regulated than floor cleaners.

Last year, I made a short programme for Channel 4 and was horrified to learn that anyone can inject fillers with no training whatsoever, despite potentially serious side effects. Indeed, I met a surgeon who specialises in removing botched filler and dealing with infections; he helped the actress Lesley Ash (right) after filler injected into her lip went terribly wrong.

Ministers last week finally announced plans to tighten up the cosmetic surgery industry. This followed a review led by the NHS medical director, Sir Bruce Keogh, which called for these “anti-ageing injections” to be available on prescription only.

The plans, however, fall way short of this and have been branded a “wasted opportunity to ensure patient safety”.

The Government says it was unable to make fillers prescription-only owing to EU legislation that states fillers are not a medicine. Instead, anyone administering fillers will simply have to have undergone training – but they do not have to be registered, nor do they have to be governed by the Care Quality Commission.

This was an ideal opportunity to address a Wild West industry. Alas, the cosmetic cowboys have not been reined in.

Your tributes pour in for Dr Gancz’s stand against NHS data-sharing

I’ve been amazed by the response to my column last week on the case of Dr Gordon Gancz, the Oxfordshire GP who has stood up to the Government over its data-sharing scheme, due to be introduced in April. He refused to sign up his patients automatically, instead asking that they “opt-in” to the programme, which will collect information from medical records, including a patient’s postcode, NHS number, date of birth, family history, referrals and so on.

Many readers have written in applauding Dr Gancz for his principled stance. While there may well be a case for collecting data, people are rightly angered that it has not been made clear that the data will be available to commercial companies, or that the data will be so detailed that anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

Last week, the Royal College of General Practitioners said the plans should be put on hold until proper consultation has taken place. The heads of five disability charities have also written to the Health Secretary, expressing concern that little has been done to ensure that those with a sensory impairment learning disability are aware that their data is to be harvested.

It’s rather telling that in a recent poll, 40 per cent of doctors themselves say they intend to opt out. I’ve already written to my GP saying I want no part of it.

Max Pemberton’s latest book is 'The Doctor Will See You Now’ (Hodder). To order, call Telegraph Books on 0844 871 1515